Judge dismisses defamation lawsuit filed against Alec Baldwin by family of fallen Marine
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Alec Baldwin by the family of a Marine killed in Afghanistan last summer.
The $25 million defamation suit was filed in Wyoming on Jan. 17 by the widow and sisters of of the late Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum. He was one of 13 service members killed in August 2021 at the Kabul airport as the U.S. sought to evacuate Americans during the Taliban takeover.
Following his death, Baldwin sent a $5,000 check meant to help McCollum’s wife, Jiennah Crayton, and their new baby. Their relationship soured, however, a year after the Jan. 6 riots, which saw thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump gather outside the US Capitol to protest Congress certifying the results of the 2020 election.
According to the lawsuit, Baldwin took aim at Roice McCollum, the Marine’s sister, when she posted an Instagram photo of herself in front of the Washington Monument on Jan. 6, 2021, wearing a “Make America Great Again” baseball cap. It came almost one year exactly after the riots rocked the nation.
“When I sent the $ for your late brother, out of real respect for his service to this country, I didn’t know you were a January 6th rioter,” Baldwin said.
In the suit, McCollum’s sister admitted that she joined a “demonstration to protest what many people viewed as the fraudulent election of Joseph Biden as President of the United States,” but emphasized that she acted in a “peaceful, law-abiding manner.”
Roice “was never detained, arrested, charged with or convicted of any crime associated with her attendance at the January 6, 2021, event in Washington, DC,” the lawsuit said.
The actor also allegedly sent Roice a private message in which he labeled her an “insurrectionist.” When she responded, Roice defended her right to protest and told Baldwin that she’d already spoken with the FBI — but it was not enough to soothe his ire.
“I don’t think so. Your activities resulted in the unlawful destruction of government property, the death of a law enforcement officer, an assault on the certification of the presidential election,” Baldwin wrote back. “I reposted your photo. Good luck.”
Roice said she was immediately flooded with hateful messages and threats, that soon trickled down to Crayton and their other sister, Cheyenne.
According to the suit, Baldwin, “unequivocally understood that by forwarding Roice’s Instagram feed to 2.4 million like-minded followers and posting his commentary would result in the onslaught of threats and hatred that it did.”
The actor has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and requested the case be dismissed based on jurisdiction. On Wednesday, Judge Nancy Freudenthal agreed with Baldwin, who lives in New York, ruling that the McCollums failed to prove the court has personal jurisdiction over Baldwin’s actions, CNN reported.
“The allegedly tortious conduct by Mr. Baldwin in New York, by way of posting a photo and content on his own Instagram feed, was not deliberately directed at an audience in Wyoming, thus any allegation that it was intended to harm plaintiffs primarily or particularly in Wyoming is insufficient for personal jurisdiction,” Freudenthal wrote.
The family has since said they plan to refile the suit in a location Baldwin can be held accountable.
